Avoid a 'Santastrophe' with Airbnb’s Christmas Ad

Like every ad in the “Get an Airbnb” campaign, conceptualisation began with the insight that some trips are better in an Airbnb – but the creative team challenged themselves to think about how the holidays are also better in an Airbnb. They thought about what the holidays would be like in a hotel, with the complexity of a hotel and the childhood fear of Santa unable to deliver you presents on Christmas Eve standing out as a clear differentiator.

The Airbnb creative team mapped out all of the obstacles that Santa would encounter in a hotel, rendering dozens of options – many of which did not make the cut for the final spot. In an early version, they showed Santa stuck in a lift as a child hit the button to every floor. (He promptly pulled out his list, and moved the child – named Brian – from “nice” to “naughty”.)

This is the first spot in the “Get an Airbnb” campaign that features a narrative – again, told in the rhyming style of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” – with multiple scenes across the hotel. 

Every detail on Santa Claus was hand picked by the Airbnb creative team, from his glasses to the buckle on his shoes. They reviewed countless options for each part of his look, with the goal of evoking a Santa that felt like a child’s memory of Christmas.

There’s even an Easter egg in Santa’s attire – if you look closely, you can see that the gold stitching on his red coat is all in the shape of the Belo, the Airbnb logo.

Airbnb's team created a sense of magical realism throughout the spot. For example, in the hotel reception, a bellhop is wearing a scarf and red hat – which appears on the snowman at the Airbnb in the final scene, greeting guests at their holiday home.

An Airbnb spokesperson said, “With many families preparing to travel this holiday, this newest ad in our ‘Get an Airbnb’ campaign shows how staying on Airbnb is Santa friendly, with many homes featuring room for a tree or a fully functioning chimney. This spot was developed by our in-house creative team, playfully bringing to life how Airbnb makes holidays even more merry.”